LAN to put 'stretch' Dreamliners from NYC to South America

The "stretch" version of Boeing's Dreamliner will be flying between New York JFK and South America beginning next year.

Chile's LAN Airlines plans to put its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners on its routes between New York JFK and Santiago, Chile, beginning July 20.

LAN already uses its 787-8s – the smaller, original version of the Dreamliner – for some of its flights between New York JFK and Santiago. But LAN says its introduction of the 787-9 on the routes will make it "the first carrier to offer international service to South America on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner" from JFK airport.

LAN's 787-9s are laid out with 313 seats, including 30 "Premium Business" seats and 283 in coach.

LAN currently has 10 Dreamliners in its fleet, with plans to take a total of 32 787 aircraft this decade.

LAN is now part of the LATAM Airlines Group that includes Brazil's TAM Airlines. The carriers merged in 2012, though each continues to fly under its own brand.

"(W)ith its state of the art technology and fresh design, we are proud to be the first to offer service to South America from JFK on the 787-9 Dreamliner," Pablo Chiozza, LATAM's SVP – USA, Canada and the Caribbean, says in a statement. "The 787-9 Dreamliner is a testament to our dedication to minimizing our environmental footprint and providing the best experience for all our passengers."

Boeing's 787-9 is about 20 feet longer and will carry 40 more passengers and fly an additional 450 nautical miles as compared to the original 787-8 model of the Dreamliner. In typical configurations, the 787-8 carries 210 to 250 passengers, while the 787-9 will average anywhere from 250 to about 300 passengers.

The 787-9 will eventually be out-sized by Boeing's 787-10 variant of the jet, though that model is not expected to enter final assembly and flight testing until 2017. Delivery to airline customers is targeted to come in 2018.

Until then, the 787-9 is Boeing's biggest version of the Dreamliner. Air New Zealand's will be configured to hold 302 passengers.